


Somewhere Under the Rainbow

by Luxe3710



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Wizard of Oz Fusion, Gen, Inspired by Music, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-27
Updated: 2017-05-07
Packaged: 2018-08-11 09:52:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7886515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luxe3710/pseuds/Luxe3710
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Frisk falls into the Underground, they find it eerily reminiscent of their favorite book. But not all is happy in the underground. Children disappear, and Witches prowl. Frisk sets off to make some friends and ask the Wizard how to get home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Witch of the East

**Author's Note:**

> So this one-shot blew up out of control... it's now about 10 chapters long. The original one shot is now part of Chapter 8.
> 
> Anyways if you want lots of song references and meta-humor give this a shot.

None of this had really gone to plan. Frisk hadn't exactly planned on climbing Mt. Ebott (the only mountain in Kansas.) But after a fight with their Aunt Mary they’d biked off to the landing halfway up the mountain to sulk. And when the rain started, they had climbed up to a nearby cave to wait it out but they sure hadn't plan on exploring it. But when they saw the twister on the horizon, they had been forced further in for shelter. And they most certainly hadn't planned on tripping and falling even deeper into the mountain. But more than all those things combined, they could say for a fact they hadn't planned on meeting a goat monster in a pointy lavender hat and gown. Nevermind landing on top of said monster in a field of red flowers.

 

Startled, Frisk looked closer at the creature.The gown they wore had an intricate design on the front in white, but other than was plainly colored. They also were wearing a simple silver locket in the shape of an inverted heart. “Welcome to the land of monsters my child.”

 

Frisk nearly jumped out of their shoes. “Oh my! You spoke!” The monster giggled at this, raising a paw to their muzzle. Frisk’s face flushed as they realized how rude they’d just been. “I'm so sorry for falling on you! Are you okay?”

 

“Do not worry,” the monster spoke warmly and gently, providing some much needed reassurance. “I have come to no harm. Are you alright, my child?”

 

“I’m fine.” Frisk quickly scrambled off of her, grabbing their basket. They glanced around as they did, taking in their surroundings. They seemed to be in a rather open cavernous area, where several rays of light from the surface shined down. The walls and ceilings seemed to provide a faint light as well, illuminating the area. 

 

The goat monster knelt down, looking Frisk in the eyes. “In that case, I apologize for my rudeness but I must first ask, what kind of witch are you?”

 

“I'm not a witch at all,” Frisk replied rather matter of factly, “Witches are old and ugly.”

 

All around Frisk, they heard soft laughing. Looking around, she saw a number of smaller creatures hiding in the shadows. They were of all shapes and sizes, and seemed to be mostly dressed in blue. “Why are they laughing?”

 

“Those are my munchkins, the small monsters of the eastern ruins. They find it funny for I am in fact a witch.”

 

“I’m so sorry, you’re not old and ugly.” Frisk mentally berated themself for insulting this kind goat-lady twice already.

 

The goat monster laughed again stating, “I am far older than you think. Allow me to introduce myself; I am Toriel, the Witch of the East and guardian of these ruins.” She extended her hand to Frisk, who nervously shook it. “Oh, my child, you’re bleeding!” she said, looking down at the child’s arm.

 

Frisk looked down at the blood on their arm. “It’s nothing, just a small scrape.” They honestly hadn’t even noticed it themself, at least until Toriel had pointed it out.

 

“Nonsense, come with me back to my home and I will get you patched up right away.” Toriel said to them in a stern motherly tone. Not seeing any reason to say otherwise, Frisk nodded.

 

***

 

As Toriel led the small child back to her home, she chatted on about a variety of subjects, from monsters, (apparently all the creature they’d seen were in fact just one species, long trapped underground) to magic, (all monsters were made of and could use magic) to snails, (apparently their mucus can help heal wounds). Frisk nodded along and occasionally responded, but for the most part stayed quiet. It wasn’t until they made it to their destination and Toriel was bandaging the scrapes in the bedroom that she had given them that they worked up the courage to ask what had been on their mind.

 

“Why did you think I was a witch?” they asked softly. 

 

Toriel eyes darted away from Frisk. “Ah, do not worry about it my child. Just the superstitious ramblings of an old woman.”

 

“You seemed certain I was a witch,” Frisk stated, “Why?”

 

Toriel’s eyes darted away. “It was nothing.”

 

“It’s not nothing, I’m worried.” Frisk’s voice broke a little as they finally raised to a normal speaking level.

 

The matronly goat monster sighed. She had failed, “That is what I was trying to avoid. Come let us sit in my living room and I will tell you the story of the Monsters of the underground.” She walked over to the living room and sat in an old armchair. Frisk looked at the hard wooden chairs before deciding to sit down on the rug instead.

 

Toriel settled in and started telling the story softly, in a wistful tone. “Long ago, monsters and humans were at war. The war was long and awful, with monster eventually losing out.” She paused for a second, looking troubled. “In our defeat, seven human witches created a barrier in order to seal away all the surviving monsters in this very mountain. In order for us to break the spell and leave the mountain, we need seven witches to dispel the barrier. When we were sealed, there were but three witches under the mountain including myself. Since then, three more have been born, and you make seven.”

 

“But I’m not a witch.” Frisk called out, slapping their hands against the floor in front of them. They’d already told her that, wasn’t she listening.

 

Toriel shook her head back and forth. “I am one of the few on this mountain who can see souls my child, and yours is that of a witch.”

 

“I can’t cast magic though, I’m just an ordinary kid!” Frisk wasn’t even sure themself why this was upsetting them so much, but they somehow really didn’t want it to be true. 

 

Toriel smiled at him, beginning an explanation. “For monsters, all witches can use soul magic, a power that is unheard of in other monsters.”

 

Frisk glanced back up at her from where they’d been staring at the floor. “Soul magic?” They weren’t sure to make of such a term.

 

“Soul magic can affect others’ souls, typically affecting their mobility. I can use Cyan soul magic, which allows the affected person to only be hit while they are moving. On the other hand, human’s powers are a mystery to me, even before the war human witches’ powers were kept secret.”

 

Frisk didn’t respond to that, instead twiddling their fingers.

 

Toriel leaned down, a smile on her muzzle. “What is it, my child?”

 

Frisk remained silent at first. They didn’t know how she would react to their request. After all, they didn’t want to seem ungrateful for everything she’d done for them. But they couldn’t stay forever either. “How do I go home?”

 

“You cannot return home now my child, I’m afraid you will have to live here in the ruins with us. As long as the barrier stands, none can leave.” 

 

“But you said we have seven witches! That means we can take down the barrier, right?”

 

“I must apologize, my child, for this is my fault. Years ago the underground was… not a safe place.” She glanced out of the house through the window, looking to see if anyone was nearby. “I brought those monsters that sought my protection here and sealed off these ruins from the rest of the underground. Now, no monster can pass through until I take it down.”

 

Was that all? That didn’t sound like a very big deal. “So why don’t you just do that?” Frisk suggested. “I can wait until you do.”

 

“It will take me a long time to take down the seal on the door, months or maybe even years.” Toriel said, voice filled with regret. “And there are no longer any monsters who can pass by it that I could ask for help.”

 

“Years..?” They… They couldn’t wait years. They couldn’t wait months even. They needed to leave now! Frisk finally let out the tears that they had been holding back. “I can’t wait that long!” they sobbed, covering their face with their sleeve.

 

Toriel stood up, kneeling down to hug the crying child. “I’m sorry, my child but there is no other way.”

 

Frisk sobbed into her shoulder, clutching it tightly. “But the last thing I did was yell at my aunt. I need to apologize to her.”

 

“I wish there was another way, but there is not. The doorway in the basement cannot be passed by any monster until I take it down.” She repeated the unfortunate truth to Frisk, holding them close.

 

“I’m-I’m going to bed!” Frisk didn’t want to hear any more of this right now. They let go of Toriel and ran out of the living room. Dashing into the bedroom they’d been given, they flopped down on the bed, clutching the pillow close. Exhausted by the day’s events, they quickly fell asleep.

 

When they woke up, the house was dark and quiet. Frisk flipped on the light in the room, realizing they had never asked why Toriel had a kid’s room all set up already. Had someone else lived here once? They started rummaging through the room, looking to see if they could find anything of interest. Other than a few other striped shirts that looked like they might fit them, and a photo that was faded beyond recognition, they didn’t find anything. And they couldn’t get through that barrier. She’d said no monster could. Except… They weren’t a monster. Maybe, just maybe they could go through on their own. It couldn’t hurt to try at least. Which meant this might be the best time for them to get going. The door creaked slightly as they opened it and stuck their head out into the hallway. Sliding out of the room, Frisk slipped under the chain blocking the stairs to the basement, and headed down to try and find their way to the gate. They were walking down the path when they turned the corner and saw Toriel.

 

The witch gave them a disapproving look. “Child what are you doing down here?”

 

Frisk met her look with a determined glare of their own. “I’m going home.” They said the words confidently, as if there was no room for argument.

 

That did not however, stop Toriel from countering them. “You can not.”

 

Frisk wasn’t about to give up that easily. “You said that monster’s can’t leave. I’m not a monster. Therefore I can leave.” Their logic was flawless, she’d have to let them go.

 

Toriel however just crossed her arms, not backing down. “I cannot let you go. You will not survive out there alone. The underground is not as safe outside the ruins.”

 

“I’m going, and you can’t stop me.” Frisk felt like their will was stronger than ever before. It was slightly frightening, but they were going to use it.

 

With that Toriel raised her hand and a ball of fire appeared in it. “Well then, show me you can defend yourself.”

 

Frisk gasped as the goat monster sent out a wave of fireballs. Quickly they ran to the left, but they weren’t fast enough. “I won’t fight you!” Frisk cried out as they were hit

 

“Then you will never leave.” Her voice was cold as she sent out another wave of fireballs. They cast long shadows over the walls of the basement. Frisk dodged most of them, but was hit by two more.

 

“I need to go home!” Frisk called out as they saw the next wave of fireballs approaching.

 

“You cannot survive out there!” Frisk braced themself as they saw another fireball coming right at them, but it veered away at the last moment. With tears in their eyes, they pleaded to her, “Please, I can’t stay here either!” 

 

“You must!” Toriel cried out as they walked towards her. She sent out wave after wave of fireballs, none of them hitting the child in front of her. Toriel ceased her attacks, falling to her knees crying. “The last child I let leave here was killed by the Witch of the West. Please! Stay!”

 

“I can’t.” Frisk said, quietly but confidently. Staying here wasn’t an option. They needed to get back to the surface, and soon.

 

Toriel looked up at the child. “Then go with my blessing.” She placed a small kiss on Frisk’s forehead. “As long as you have my mark of protection, the Witch of the West won’t dare touch you. However, there are many other threats in the underground, so must still be careful.” Toriel took off the silver inverted heart pendant she had been wearing. “Child, this locket contains ancient human magic. I do not know what it does, but it may help you on your journey.”

 

“Thank you Toriel.” Frisk said quietly. They glanced down at the locket in their hands, turning it over as they examined it’s smooth surface. Hopefully she was right about it helping them, but in any case it was an amazingly kind gift.

 

The goat monster looked at them sadly. “Your best chance at finding a way from the underground is to go see the wizard.”

 

“Is he a wonderful wizard.” Frisk asked, a small smile on their face.

 

“That he is. He is an old friend of mine. If anyone can help you get home it would be he. Good luck my child.” Toriel said sadly, glancing towards the door. “Once you leave here…you will not be able to return. This is the last we shall see of each other. Take care, my child.”

 

Frisk headed towards the door, turning to smile at Toriel before passing through her barrier.

 

Frisk walked into a small dark room. The only thing in it was a small red flower in the very center of the room where a light shined down. It looked similar to the ones they had fallen on when they first arrived in the underground. 

 

“Howdy!” said the flower, “My name’s Flowey. Flowey the flower.”

 

“A talking flower? I suppose that shouldn’t be surprising though.” Frisk reasoned, thinking of all the other strange monsters they’d seen earlier.

 

“Are you going to introduce yourself?” the flower replied, the smallest hint of annoyance creeping into his voice.“

 

“Oh, sorry!” Frisk said, realizing they’d been impolite. “I’m Frisk. I’m on my way to see the wizard.”

 

“Would you-” Frisk paused for a second. There was something unsettling about the flower. Deciding they were just being silly, they finished their question. “Would you like to come along.”

 

“Of course I would,” said the flower smiling happily. Frisk was shocked as he quickly reached out with his vines, pulling himself into her basket. “Off to the wizard we go!”

 

“I don’t suppose there is a yellow brick road to follow?” they asked glibly.

 

“A… what?” The flower replied, clearly confused.“No... although I’ve heard there is a golden hallway at the end of the path.”


	2. The Scarecrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk enters Snowdin and things start to go off the rails.

“ _ We’re off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz _ .” Frisk sang as they walked down the path towards the town of Snowdin. “ _ We hear he is a whiz of a wiz if ever a wiz there was. _ ”

 

“What in the world are you singing?” asked the slightly grumpy flower in their basket.

 

“It’s a song from an old movie Toto.”

 

“Don’t call me that, the name’s Flowey.”

 

Frisk laughed as they continued along the path. They’d quickly found that Flowey was far more fun and honest when they antagonized him. The two of them were moving briskly along until they heard a loud voice.

 

“HALT, YOU SHALL NOT PASS BY ME!” A tall skeleton stood in the middle of the path ahead. He wore a costume that looked like it had been pieced together by hand, and was straight out of a comic book. It was topped off with an old ratty orange scarf, and matching pairs of gloves and boots. “I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL CAPTURE YOU HUMAN AND BE PRAISED GREATLY. WITH SUCH AN AMAZING FEAT, THEY SHALL FINALLY INVITE ME INTO THE ROYAL GUARD.”

 

Frisk couldn’t help but laugh at how serious he was and the skeleton’s face quickly fell. “WHY DID YOU LAUGH AT ME?”

 

Frisk tried to be reassuring. “You were quite intimidating.” 

 

“THERE IS NO NEED TO LIE TO SPARE MY FEELINGS. I KNOW, AS AMAZING AS THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS, THAT I AM NOT VERY SCARY,” the skeleton said slumping.

 

Frisk started walking over to try and comfort them. Before they’d made it more than a couple steps, he quickly straightened up to declare, “BUT REGARDLESS OF MY LACK OF SCARINESS, WHAT YOU SHALL BE SCARED BY ARE THE MARVELOUS PUZZLES I HAVE DESIGNED TO CAPTURE YOU. SOON, I SHALL CAPTURE YOU AND JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD!” With that, the skeleton spun around and ran off, scarf flapping in the wind.

 

“Hey Toto, any idea what just happened?” Frisk asked, peering into the basket.

 

“That’s Papyrus for you, he’s always like that. It’s actually pretty amazing someone can be that loud without lungs.” The flower informed them grumpily.

 

***

 

Frisk soon saw Papyrus standing up ahead past what looked like an empty field. “THIS PUZZLE WILL SURELY STUMP YOU! FOR I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE CREATED AN UNBEATABLE INVISIBLE MAZE.”

 

Frisk looked at the path of bootprints Papyrus must have left in the snow and giggled. They made their way through the maze, quickly jumping from print to print. When they finished, they looked up at Papyrus.

 

“I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU SOLVED MY PUZZLE SO QUICKLY,” he said, jaw dropping, clearly distressed. “WELL THE NEXT ONE WILL GET YOU FOR SURE!” With a quick flourish, the skeleton quickly vanished from sight again.

 

Frisk giggled as they watched the skeleton leave. 

 

“What’s so funny?” came a voice from the basket.

 

“He’s the scarecrow.” Frisk said happily.

 

“What does that even mean?” grouched the flower.

 

“It means… I’m definitely going to make friends with him.”

 

Frisk next saw the skeleton on the other side of another empty field. This time his footsteps just went straight across.

 

“This one looks easy.” came a muffled voice from the basket.

  
“THIS IS WHERE I WOULD HAVE PLACED A PUZZLE IF I HAD SOME HELP.”  Papyrus yelled before running off again.

 

With a small sigh, Frisk set off again. The next few puzzles (a hidden switch, pressure plates, and a frozen bowl of spaghetti), were quickly cleared. They hid or ran from any monsters they saw fairly easily.  Throughout, there was no sign of Papyrus. It wasn’t until they got to a long bridge that they finally saw the skeleton again. He was pacing back and forth, staring at what looked like a remote in his hand. “AH HUMAN, YOU HAVE ARRIVED! FIRST I MUST ASK, WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE SPAGHETTI?”

 

“It was good! I uh... left most of it for you though.”

 

A whispered “Liar,” drifted out of the basket.

 

“Hey, the tiny bit I was able to chip off was okay.” Frisk responded in whisper.

 

“WELL AS A FELLOW PASTA AND PUZZLE CONNOISSEUR YOU WILL ENJOY THIS, YOUR FINAL AND MOST DANGEROUS CHALLENGE! BEHOLD! THE GAUNTLET OF DEADLY TERROR! WHEN I SAY THE WORD, IT WILL FULLY ACTIVATE!!! CANNONS WILL FIRE! SPIKES WILL SWING! BLADES WILL SLICE! EACH PART WILL SWING VIOLENTLY UP AND DOWN! ONLY THE TINIEST CHANCE OF VICTORY WILL REMAIN!!! ARE YOU READY!?”   
  


Frisk stared at the skeleton. They’d seemed so goofy and antagonistically friendly up til now. Would they really activate something like this? After about thirty seconds of silence Frisk called out “Papyrus-”

 

“I! AM! ABOUT! TO DO IT!”

 

Frisk opened up the basket and whispered inside. “Flowey, how does he plan on capturing me with that?”

 

“Don’t ask me, the skeleton’s gone totally nutso.”

 

“UMM… THIS PUZZLE MIGHT BE JUST A BIT TOO DIRECT! MAYBE THIS PUZZLE ISN’T FOR YOU. I THINK I WILL SAVE THIS ONE FOR UNDYNE.” With that, once more the skeleton ran off with a “NYEH HEH HEH!”.

 

“Well that’s one way to solve it, I guess,” the flower grumbled, peeking out of the basket.

 

Frisk crossed the bridge, which felt far too sturdy for being made of ropes and wood, and saw that Papyrus was still in sight, standing between them and what looked like a town in the distance.

 

“HUMAN. ALLOW ME TO TELL YOU ABOUT SOME COMPLEX FEELINGS.   
FEELINGS LIKE… THE JOY OF FINDING ANOTHER PASTA LOVER. THE ADMIRATION FOR ANOTHER'S PUZZLE-SOLVING SKILLS.THE DESIRE TO HAVE A COOL, SMART PERSON THINK YOU ARE COOL. THESE FEELINGS... THEY MUST BE WHAT YOU ARE FEELING RIGHT NOW!!!”

 

“Something like that.” Frisk joked. They weren’t sure at all what to make of this.

 

Papyrus continued without missing a beat. “I CAN HARDLY IMAGINE WHAT IT MUST BE LIKE TO FEEL THAT WAY. AFTER ALL, I AM VERY GREAT. I DON'T EVER WONDER WHAT HAVING LOTS OF FRIENDS IS LIKE.”

 

“If you want to be friends. We could just-”

 

“NO... NO, THIS IS ALL WRONG! I CAN'T BE YOUR FRIEND! YOU ARE A HUMAN! I MUST CAPTURE YOU! THEN, I CAN FULFILL MY LIFELONG DREAM TO BECOME THE NEWEST MEMBER... OF THE ROYAL GUARD!”

 

After all his blustering, Frisk was caught unaware when Papyrus launched a string of magical bones at them, cutting them up and knocking them off their feet. “Papyrus wait-”

 

“WE ARE IN A FIGHT NOW. YOU’RE GOING TO NEED TO JUMP IF YOU WANT TO DODGE MY ATTACKS!” With that warning, Papyrus through another row of bones along the ground, including some large blue ones. Frisk managed to dodge the first few attacks, but ran smack into one of the large blue bones.

 

“DON’T YOU KNOW? BLUE MEANS STOP!”

 

“What does that even mean!” Frisk yelled back at the skeleton. Jumping over a few more small attacks they called out. “Can’t we just talk this out.”

 

“THIS IS NO LONGER THE TIME FOR TALKING! I MUST CAPTURE YOU!”

 

There had to be a way to get him to stop or at least distract him so they could run away. “You’ve already captured my heart.” They were definitely running out of ideas.

 

“WHAT!? FL-FLIRTING!? SO YOU FINALLY REVEAL YOUR ULTIMATE FEELINGS! HOWEVER! I'M A SKELETON WITH VERY HIGH STANDARDS!!!”

 

Thinking back Frisk responded, “I can make spaghetti,” before adding “Sort of,” under their breath.

 

“YOU-YOU’RE MEETING ALL OF MY STANDARDS! W-WELL WE CAN GO ON A DATE AFTER I CAPTURE YOU.” With that he let out yet another round of bones towards Frisk.

 

That definitely backfired. “But I don’t want to-” Frisk plea was cut off by another hit from a bone attack, sending them into darkness.


	3. The Good Witch of the North

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First half of Waterfall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently Papyrus doesn't actually eat spaghetti. I love it.

Frisk woke up to the sounds of yelling. As they focused a little, they realized only one voice was yelling, the other was just Papyrus speaking at his normal volume. Even upset, the other voice was much quieter than his. Focusing, they made out a couple of the words. 

 

“Why would you… Attacking isn’t… I HAD TO… You’re not a… MY SPAGHETTI...” 

 

Opening their eyes they looked and saw their basket on the top of the couch they were lying on.

 

“Hey Toto,” Frisk whispered, “You okay?”

 

Flowey’s head quickly popped out to look at Frisk. “I am bored out of my mind, I’ve been waiting THREE HOURS for you to wake up with only that BONEHEAD for company.”

 

Frisk looked nervously over to where the voices were. “Flowey, shh!”

 

Flowey rolled their eyes at Frisk’s shushing. “Don’t worry they’re harmless. Let’s just get going again.”

 

Frisk sat up and leveled an even stare at the plant. “Do you not remember who just knocked me out?”

 

Flowey chuckled, although it sounded forced. “He spent the whole time you were out fussing over you.”

 

Frisk looked down at their arms and noticed they were all bandaged up, probably far more than necessary. “Fine, but I’m still mad at him.” They looked up to see a familiar skeleton standing in the doorway. Frisk just buried their face in their knees.

 

“HUMAN, IT HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION THAT I MAY HAVE BEEN MISTAKEN IN MY ACTIONS TOWARDS YOU.” Papyrus loudly announced as he walked in.

 

“Is that supposed to be an apology?” Frisk muttered into the fabric of their pants.

 

“NO, THIS IS: HUMAN, I AM VERY SORRY FOR HAVING HURT YOU. I SHOULD HAVE SPOKEN WITH YOU TO FIND OUT YOUR INTENTIONS BEFOREHAND.”

 

Frisk dared to look up only to see Papyrus trying to make puppy dog eyes at them with his eyelights.They managed to hold it in for about ten seconds before giggling. “Alright Scarecrow, just don’t do it again.”

 

Papyrus looked puzzled for a second before beaming. “WOWIE, THANKS! IF I WEREN’T SO GREAT, I MIGHT HAVE BEEN WORRIED YOU WOULDN’T FORGIVE ME.”

 

Frisk fidgeted on the couch. “So who were you talking to?”

 

The skeleton sat down on the chair across from Frisk.“OH, HE IS THE BEST FAMILY EVER, HE EVEN MANAGED TO SHOW THE GREAT PAPYRUS WHERE HE HAD GONE WRONG!” As the skeleton spoke, another figure entered the room. Frisk looked and saw they were fire, living fire that was wearing a suit. “SPEAKING OF WHOM, HE HAS ENTERED NOW! HUMAN MEET MY DAD, GRILLBY!”

 

The monster of fire nodded at them. Frisk nodded back at the monster, trying to be polite. “Hello, nice to meet you, I’m Frisk.” So… a skeleton had a walking flame for a father? Was that normal? They certainly didn’t seem to have anything in common short of both being monsters. They suddenly realized Grillby had offered out his hand. It glowed softly, seeming to be made of fire as well. Would it burn? He wouldn’t offer if it would though. Trying to cover their indecision they took his hand and shook it. Grillby’s hand was warm to the touch, but luckily it didn’t burn. Frisk kept the handshake brief, not wanting to push their luck. The elemental smiled at them, kindly afterwards, possibly in reassurance.

 

Papyrus continued speaking, heedless of Frisk’s lack of comfort. “HE DOESN’T TALK MUCH AROUND OTHERS. BUT FEAR NOT! THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL SPEAK ENOUGH FOR BOTH OF US!”

 

“Uh... great.” Frisk said, failing to hide their sarcasm.

 

Luckily Papyrus seemed oblivious to the fact that Frisk wasn’t being honest. “SO TINY HUMAN, WHAT ARE YOUR INTENTIONS?”

 

Was that really any of his business? Well hopefully that would get the skeleton to let them be at least. “Oh, we’re just off to see the Wizard.”

 

“THAT IS PERFECT! THAT WAS WHERE I HAD TO BRING YOU ANYWAYS. I SHALL BRING YOU THERE RIGHT AWAY!” Papyrus shook his head, a sad expression on his skull. “IF ONLY YOU HAD SAID SO FROM THE START.”

 

Frisk shot the skeleton a dirty look at that.

 

Papyrus put his hands up defensively. “RIGHT! THAT WAS MY FAULT. WELL, I AM SURE YOU ARE IN A HURRY TO SPEAK TO A FELLOW WITCH-”

 

“Flowey, you told him!?” Frisk called over to the flower, cutting the skeleton off. They’d hadn’t thought the flower would be spoiling that to anyone who listened.

 

“I didn’t tell him!” Flowey said, sounding genuinely shocked.

 

“WELL I JUST ASSUMED. YOU ARE WEARING THE COLOR OF WITCHES AND THE COLOR OF THE EAST, AND YOU CAME FROM THE RUINS. YOU MUST BE THE WITCH OF THE EAST.” Papyrus nodded his head sagely, having demonstrated his flawless logic.

 

“I am not the Witch of the East, I just like this shirt.” Thinking back, he had to mean purple was the color of the witch as it was what Toriel wore, which meant blue was the color of the east.

 

“BUT YOU JUST SAID TO THE FLOWER THAT YOU WERE A WITCH! AFTER ALL, NO ONE WEARS PURPLE EXCEPT FOR WITCHES!” Papyrus stood up, putting his hands on his hips.

 

Frisk wanted to lie, but they had a feeling Papyrus wasn’t going to let this go. And they had already spoiled the truth anyways “I- ugh, fine, I was told that I am a witch, but I don’t know anything about it or have any magic, alright.” 

 

“BUT-”   
  


“Look can we drop it,” Frisk snapped. A glare from Grillby had Papyrus actually listening for once.

 

With that the conversation, stalled for a bit. Soon though, Papyrus had picked up the slack with tales of training with Undyne, the Witch of the North. After a bit, Grillby left, and soon the three of them sat down and ate dinner, burgers. Papyrus seemed less than pleased, but Frisk quickly devoured the greasy goodness. Flowey sat nearby, munching on some fries.

 

Frisk watched as Papyrus poked at his burger. “So Papyrus, are you going to ask the Wizard for anything when you meet him.’

 

“ASK HIM FOR SOMETHING? LIKE WHAT?” Papyrus tilted his head as he looked at Frisk with a befuddled expression.

 

“I don’t know, it was just a thought.” Papyrus seemed concerned, having gone silent after that question. 

 

“Smooth move.” snarked the living flower.

 

They really needed to stop making movie references no one here could get. Quietly, they finished dinner and excused themself for the night.

 

***

 

Frisk woke up in the morning, once again to loud voices. The snuck over by the kitchen door to listen.

 

“Papyrus, you can’t go with them.” That must be Grillby speaking. They were fairly certain they’d heard that voice the last time as well.

 

“I AM GOING WITH THEM AND STOP CHANGING THE SUBJECT. I’M GOING TO ASK THE WIZARD ABOUT WHERE I CAME FROM.” 

 

There was a brief pause before Frisk could just make out a quiet response, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

“DAD, I'M NOT AN IDIOT, DON'T TREAT ME LIKE ONE!” Papyrus stormed out of the room, boots clacking loudly against the linoleum of the kitchen..

 

Papyrus collapsed on the couch, next to where Frisk was sitting, his arms crossed. It took a good fifteen seconds before he noticed Frisk was looking at him. “I'M SORRY TINY HUMAN, DID YOU HEAR THAT?”

 

Lying was probably not a good choice in this situation. “Just the last bit.” Frisk eked out.

 

Papyrus sat down on the couch next to Frisk. “AT LEAST YOU AREN'T LYING TO ME.” He frowned, clutching his arms tighter across his chest.. “I'M SORRY YOU HAD TO HEAR THAT. I HAVE TRIED TO BRING UP THE SUBJECT BEFORE BUT HE ALWAYS BECOMES EVASIVE. I THOUGHT MAYBE BRING DIRECT WOULD WORK, BUT THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS BEEN WRONG A LOT LATELY.”

 

Frisk wasn't sure what to say. As much as they still wanted to be mad at him, Papyrus really didn’t seem like the scary figure he had been when they woke up anymore. He definitely seemed like he needed help right now anyways. Letting out a small sigh, they just leaned over and gave Papyrus a hug. “You’ll find out eventually, I’m sure of it.”

 

“THANK YOU HUMAN,” Papyrus said softly. His mood seemed to have cracked as their was a slight smile on his face, but he still seemed to be somewhere else.

 

It looked like they were going to have to press harder to find out what’s going on with him. “Is there something else?”

 

Papyrus stood up, snapped from his thoughts. “DO NOT WORRY YOURSELF ABOUT IT TINY HUMAN. I WILL BE FINE. LET US GET GOING TO SEE THE WIZARD. I KNOW WHAT I WANT TO ASK HIM NOW.” He jumped to his feet, energized once more. Without any hesitation, he walked out towards the front door.

 

“Wait a second, I need to grab my basket!” Frisk called after them. Here they’d been wondering if they should ditch him last night, and he was already doing that himself.

  
“I WILL MEET YOU OUTSIDE THEN!” The skeleton called back, already stepping out into the snow.

 

They ran into the kitchen, but the basket was already in Grillby’s hands. Frisk stopped and stared at him. They really shouldn’t get involved. “If you told him what he wants to know, he might stay.” they said softly.

 

Bowing his head, he handed the basket to her. “...I can’t tell him... what I don’t know... Please... watch out for my son...”

 

***

 

As the cold snow of Snowdin melted away, Frisk, Flowey and Papyrus entered the land of Waterfall, voices ringing in song.

 

“ _ We’re off to see the Wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz! _ ” 

 

“Why are you encouraging them?” came the grouchy voice in the basket.

 

“Alright Scarecrow, looks like we have to tone it down a little for the sourpuss here.” Frisk giggled as they spoke authoritatively. This trip was actually starting to become fun now that they had two companions.

  
Papyrus just had a puzzled look on his face as he listened to the child’s words. ”WHY DO YOU KEEP CALLING ME SCARECROW? AND WHAT IS AN ‘OZ’?”

 

“It’s an old story from the surface, that this place seems to remind me of.” Frisk explained, a grin present on their face. “A kid-”

 

“FRISK! LOOK OUT!” Frisk stopped just as a cyan spear flew by their face. 

 

“What was that?!” Frisk cried out, glancing around for the source of the spears. It seemed like they’d come out of nowhere. How were they supposed to dodge something like that?

 

“DO NOT FEAR, THE GREAT PAPYRUS SHALL PROTECT YOU!” In one swift move, Papyrus grabbed Frisk under his arm and started running.

 

Frisk heard a thundering voice as they left. “Papyrus! Get back here you nerd!”

 

Quickly they passed through several caverns, with Papyrus only stopping when they reached a what looked like a series of boardwalks.

 

“I BELIEVE WE HAVE LOST HER.” Papyrus looked around nervously.

 

“Good, can you put me down then?” Frisk called from under his arm. They weren’t sure who  _ she _ was, and they had a feeling they didn’t want to know.

 

“OF COURSE I CAN HUMAN.” The skeleton said, plopping the human back down on their feet.

 

“So, where are we, anyways?” The room was quite dark, and seeing where any of the walks led was near impossible.

 

“WE ARE IN WATERFALL OF COURSE,” Papyrus exclaimed proudly, hands on his hips.

 

“I know that,” Frisk said, rolling their eyes at the skeleton’s unhelpful answer. “I meant, which way do we go now.”

 

“I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA.” Papyrus replied, still exuding confidence.

 

“Toto?” Frisk questioned, hoping the flower would prove helpful for once.

 

“Don’t ask me, I can’t exactly enter this part of Waterfall, there’s no soil.” Flowey grumbled, glancing down at the pit below. “Try not to fall and drag me with you.”

 

Frisk just rolled their eyes at Flowey’s comment. “Let’s just get moving then.” Frisk headed off quickly with Papyrus close behind. 

 

A loud voice echoed through the cavern from behind them. “NGAHHHH!! Papyrus what are you doing with that human! They’re dangerous!”

 

Papyrus called back to the voice behind them. “THEY’RE NOT DANGEROUS! I WOULD SAY ON A SCALE OF ONE TO TEN, THEIR DANGER LEVEL RATES A ZERO!”

 

“You gonna let him insult you like that?” Flowey whispered.

 

“Not the time Toto,” Frisk quietly retorted. “Besides, he’s kind of right.”

 

An armored figure approached from the inky darkness in the distance. “Papyrus don’t be an idiot, that human is using you!” they yelled at the skeleton.

 

A dejected look flickered across Papyrus’ face as he called back, “I AM NOT AN IDIOT!”

 

The figure paused briefly, seemingly taken aback. “I know that, I just meant-”

 

“I KNOW WHAT YOU MEANT.” Papyrus said, arms crossed.

 

“NGAHHH!!! Look I’m stopping the human now. We’ll discuss this later.” Undyne whipped another series of spears at Frisk. With nowhere to run, they brought up their arms to shield themselves. They never felt the blow however, as Papyrus crouched down and grabbed them in his arms, shielding them. The force of the blow toppled him over, sending the three down into the pit below.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If Undyne ever appears dramatically and Spear of Justice doesn’t start playing in your head, I have failed my job.


	4. The Tin Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus and Frisk talk, Undyne makes assumptions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE ARE BACK! So uh... yeah it's been forever, but I just rewrote the three previous chapters, and here is number four!

Frisk woke up in a field of red flowers. “No, I can’t be back in the ruins, I came too far!” Frisk said in a panic.

A mumbled “WHAT?” calmed them down and made them realize Papyrus was there next to them. Thank goodness. What had they been thinking? There was no way they could have made it all the way back to the start after all. Looking around they realized the patch of flowers they were in was surrounded by large piles of trash.

“Where is this?” the child wondered aloud.

“What does it look like, it’s a field of poppies in a garbage dump,” a second voice snarked from nearby.

Frisk looked back at the pile of flowers to spot one moving within them. “Oh Toto, you’re up.” They giggled realizing what he’d just said. “Wait you’re a poppy? That’s perfect!”

“Of course I’m a poppy! What did you think I was?” Flowey had popped back out of the ground right in front of Frisk. “And I swear you spend more time asleep than awake. I’ve been up this whole time waiting for one of you two idiots to finally wake up.”

“Aww, you kept watch for us.” Frisk squeaked, smiling at the nearby flower. “How sweet!”

“What- no- whatever, I’m taking a nap.” With that, Flowey quickly retreated back to his basket.

Well so much for his company. Ah well. Frisk checked over their friendly skeletal guide, but he seemed to be fine. Which was surprising if he’d actually been hit by a spear. Then again, maybe it had just passed through empty space, he was a skeleton after all. The child considered waking him, but decided to let him rest for now. Instead, they took a bit of time to explore the area. They found that the heaps of garbage seemed to go on endlessly, and they didn’t really want to start digging in them. That left them with few other options. Soon enough they were back at the flower patch and tapping Papyrus’ shoulder to wake him up. 

Papyrus immediately bolted to his feet. “GOOD MORNING HUMAN. ARE YOU READY TO GO ALREADY?” Frisk wasn’t sure how anyone could be so perky when they just woke up.

Frisk shook their head. Was it even actually morning? It was hard to tell underground. “I was thinking we could eat first actually.”

Papyrus looked astonished by the idea. “BUT I DID NOT THINK TO BRING ANY FOOD WITH US. I AM QUITE SORRY HUMAN, I SHOULD HAVE CONSIDERED THAT AS YOUR GUIDE!”

“Grillby took care of that actually.” Frisk informed him as they sat down. “The basket’s loaded with food.”

“OH.” The skeleton replied flatly, a vaguely dismayed look on their skull.

Frisk started to take out a couple of the sandwiches picking ones that looked tasty. Food would make things better hopefully. When they glanced up they saw that Papyrus wasn’t moving. “You okay?”

Papyrus sat there quietly. He stared down at the crimson flowers for a while before responding, “HUMAN DO YOU THINK I'M DUMB?”

“No, of course not,” Frisk quickly replied. Weird, probably, and oblivious almost certainly, but the skeleton didn’t seem dumb to them.

“PLEASE…” He met their eyes as he made his request. “DON’T LIE TO ME.”

“I mean it.” Frisk said, a determined look on their face once more.

“I’M JUST SICK OF PEOPLE ACTING LIKE I NEED PROTECTING FROM THE WORLD…” Papyrus pulled his legs in and started wringing his hands again.

“BUT THERE’S SO MUCH I DON’T KNOW AND I KEEP MESSING UP.” Papyrus growled, throwing his hands in the air. “I ATTACKED YOU, MESSED THINGS UP WITH DAD, STORMED OUT WITHOUT THINKING ABOUT SUPPLIES, GOT US LOST AND COULDN’T CALM DOWN MY FRIEND. IT SEEMS LIKE I CAN’T DO ANYTHING RIGHT. MAYBE, DAD WAS RIGHT AND I SHOULD HAVE STAYED HOME...”

Frisk was quiet for a minute while they thought of what to say. Papyrus just sat there, rocking back and forth slightly. “Do you know why I call you Scarecrow?” Papyrus shook his head. “He's a character from my favorite story. A young child is thrown by a twister into a strange land.”

“WHAT'S A TWISTER?” Papyrus asked, keeping keeping his head down.

Frisk laughed a little at the question. “It’s a giant spiral of wind as tall as this mountain.”

A hint of a smile appeared on Papyrus’ face.

“She's told to go find the wizard to get home.” Papyrus nodded sagely at this. “There she meets three friends, a scarecrow, a tinman and a lion. The lion wanted courage, and the tin man wanted a heart. The scarecrow though had spent his whole life in a cornfield, so he wanted a brain to be smarter.”

“MAYBE A BRAIN WOULD HELP ME TOO.” Frisk couldn’t tell if Papyrus was being serious or joking when he said that.

“Wait a second, you have to listen to the rest of the story. You see, even though the scarecrow knew nothing about the world and had no brain, he constantly came up with plans to keep them going. He outsmarted terrible tiger-bears, helped them cross a rolling river, and came up with a plan to rescue the lion from poisonous poppies. When the child was abducted by a wicked witch, he proved himself by coming up with a plan to rescue her.” Frisk paused, thinking how to phrase the next part diplomatically. “No battle plan survives contact with the enemy, but with quick thinking he was able to get them in and rescue the child.”

“I HAVEN’T DONE ANYTHING GREAT LIKE THAT THOUGH.” The skeleton finally let go of his knees, collapsing backwards onto the bed of poppies.

Frisk sighed as he watched the skeleton fall back. They were certainly stubborn. “You’re journey’s just beginning though. We still have a ways to go. I mean, I might still get to melt a witch with a bucket of water.”

“WHY WOULD THAT MELT A WITCH?” Papyrus shot upright, a worried expression on his face.

Frisk was stunned by Papyrus’ severe reaction. “I... have no idea.” They’d kind of always just accepted that without question.

“WELL, IN ANY CASE, THIS MEANS THE GREAT PAPYRUS MUST CONTINUE HIS JOURNEY.

The two of them settled down and quickly ate a pair of sandwiches. 

“You ready to go now? I just thought of the perfect song to sing.”

Papyrus nodded. “Alright, it goes like this: Heart don’t fail me now, courage don’t desert me.”

***

The two of them were singing as they made their way through the dump. “Courage, see me through. Heart, I'm trusting you to bring me home at last!”

 

Frisk suddenly stopped and shushed Papyrus. Their head swiveled back and forth as they listened intently.

“WHAT IS WRONG?” Papyrus asked, failing to actually remain quiet.

“I thought I heard someone saying ‘Bravo’. Just listen.” 

At first there seemed to be nothing but the sound of water dripping. Soon though, they heard a faint noise from one of the nearby trash piles.

Frisk walked over and called out, “Hello? Is someone there?’

Another faint sound came to the pile. Frisk glanced over at Papyrus with a questioning look. He stared at the pile for a moment before declaring, “STAND BACK HUMAN! I WILL HANDLE THIS!” A white glow came from his hands as a large white bone formed. He quickly started cutting away the trash, carefully searching for the source of the noise. Soon what looked like a giant calculator was revealed.

“METTATON?” Papyrus asked questioningly, seeming to recognize whatever it was that had been uncovered.

Frisk glanced back and forth between the device and the skeleton. “What?” 

“He’s a TV celebrity who disappeared last year.”

“You have TVs?” Frisk asked questioningly, before realizing the bigger issue at hand. “Wait you have robots?”

“GRILLBY HAS ONE IN THE BAR, A TV THAT IS. I DON’T KNOW ABOUT ANY OTHER ROBOTS THOUGH.” Papyrus put his hand to his chin as he thought about it. He’d opened up his jaw to add more when their discourse was interrupted by the robot calling out again one word, ‘power’. “HE PROBABLY NEEDS TO BE RECHARGED. LUCKILY, THERE’S AN OUTLET NEARBY!”

“Papyrus, where in the world are we going to get an outlet around here?” Frisk asked 

“WE COULD JUST NEED TO GO TO UNDYNE’S HOUSE!” Papyrus said, already trying to lift the calculator robot.

Frisk rolled their eyes at the suggestions. “Why would we do that. She is trying to kill me.”

“THAT’S WHY IT’S THE PERFECT PLACE.” Papyrus had managed to get the robot off the ground and was dragging them to the exit of the dump.

“But-” Frisk followed behind them, only managing a single word before they were cut off again.

“TRUST ME!” Papyrus urged proudly. “SHE WON’T SLEEP AGAIN UNTIL SHE CAPTURE YOU.”

“Uh…” Why in the world were they actually considering this? Frisk facepalmed as they followed behind the skeleton.

“WELL OKAY SHE WILL EVENTUALLY, BUT NOT FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS PROBABLY. EVEN IF SHE DOES SHOW UP, I’LL TALK HER DOWN THIS TIME.” Papyrus continued rambling to himself as he dragged the robot along.

This was probably going to be a mistake. “I trust you.” Definitely gonna be a mistake.

***

Undyne was pissed. Royally pissed. She’d been trying to handle a human! A human of all things! What the hell was Papyrus even thinking? She’d just done who knows what to him because he decided to defend a freaking HUMAN!!! 

The fish woman paused in her march to the dump as she saw a bizzare set of scrapes leading out of the dump. What in the world? It looked almost like they were going to… her house? Alright, she’d check this out quickly and then head straight for the dump. She marched over, throwing open the front door to reveal… Papyrus?

“Papyrus! You’re okay!” Undyne quickly ran and checked the skeleton over for injury. “Wait, what are you doing here?”

“I” Papyrus looked around quickly. “I HAVE COME TO MAKE YOU APOLOGY SPAGHETTI,” he announced.

“You what!” Undyne hollered, turning a reddish-purple at the words. “Let me get this straight. I chased you down, stabbed you, and knocked sent you on a giant fall AND NOW YOU ARE TRYING TO APOLOGIZE TO ME! NGAHHH!!!!”

“I-” Papyrus had his hands up as he tried to speak up for himself.

“NO! As soon as the human is found, I will give you the best apology EVER. So don’t you DARE try to apologize to me. UNDERSTOOD!?!”

“YES MA’AM!” Papyrus replied, offering a salute.

That was probably the best she was going to get out of him. Well, back to business then, finding the human. “Alright, so please tell me what-” 

A voice rang out from behind the piano. “Good morning beauties!

Undyne’s question changed without her missing a beat. “What is he doing here?”

“WE FOUND HIM IN THE DUMP!” Papyrus told her proudly. He was still standing rather stiffly in the middle of the room for reasons probably known only to him.

“Why were you in the dump?” she asked, turning to the robot. 

“Honestly darling, I have no idea. Last thing I remember was getting grabbed by the Witch of the East. Somehow that horrrrible witch must have left me there.”

“Well go see Alphys right away, she’s been worried sick about you.” Undyne said, putting her hand to her head. “And get out of my house.”

Mettaton held up a cord for her to see. “Trust me darling, I’d rather not be in this dump if I didn’t have to be. I’ll be out of your pretty hair in a moment, I promise.

Undyne sighed. She’d really rather not deal with him right now either. Although hopefully the robot’s return would destress Alphys somewhat… She turned back to Papyrus, resuming her original line of questioning. “Now, what happened to that human you were with?”

“WELL THEY DID NOT WANT TO STOP HERE. AFTER ALL THEY ARE HEADED STRAIGHT FOR THE WIZARD! SO-” Papyrus explained quickly, still standing unmoving in the kitchen.

“WHAT! I have to go warn him!” Undyne turned to leave before considering a second thought and looking at Papyrus. “Can you make sure he gets to Alphys alright?”

Mettaton was indignant. “I don’t need a-”

“THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL MAKE IT HIS DUTY TO SEE THAT THIS OCCURS.”

With that, the fish woman ran out of the house, on a mission.

***

“Bravo, what a wonderful performance.” Mettaton said, breaking the ensuing silence.

“WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? I JUST TOLD HER THE TRUTH.” Papyrus replied, sounding confused. “IT IS NOT MY FAULT SHE CUT AND RAN BEFORE I GOT TO THE END OF MY STORY.”

“Well, what were the chances of her listening all the way through?” Frisk asked, popping up from behind the piano.

“WELL… PROBABLY NONE? SHE TENDS TO MAKE ASSUMPTIONS.” Papyrus rubbed the back of his neck as he walked towards the door. “NOW TIME TO BRING METTATON TO ALPHYS! WHICH JUST SO HAPPENS TO BE THE SAME WAY WE NEED TO GO TO GET TO THE WIZARD!” He walked outside, whistling a happy tune.

Frisk quickly ran after the skeleton, turning to look at the robot. “Well, you coming Tin Man?”

“I sure am darling! And what am I to call you?” Mettaton asked, wheeling after the human.

“Frisk will do just fine.” they replied, seeming to hesitate for a moment on the answer.

**Author's Note:**

> I appreciate all comments, criticism or speculation.


End file.
